FIFA World Cup History: Spain
Spain are favorites to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup taking place in South Africa. Their win in the European Championships of 2008 have made them the most delightful team to watch in international football in recent years. Playing football which reminds one, of the total footballing style that was perfected by the Dutch side of the 1970’s and the similar style that was adopted by the Brazilian team which included Pele, Jarzinho and Carlos Alberto; Spain are a force to reckon with. But how did all of this start? How does Spain actually fare in the biggest foot-balling tournament there ever has been? How does Spain fare against the World Cup records of Brazil, Italy and Germany?
Spain didn’t play their first competitive international game till the year 1950 because of the civil war unrest in the country followed by World War II. Spain’s first World Cup appearance saw them in a group containing the likes of England, Chile and U.S.A. Spain did exceptionally well in their group by topping it and progressing to the final round of matches where they failed to win even a single match and only managed a draw with Uruguay who eventually won the tournament.
The following eight years were disappointing for Spanish football as they reach the European championship’s quarter finals in 1960 but had to forfeit the competition given the political differences between Soviet Union and the Spanish dictator General Franco.
In 1964 Spain became the European Champions after winning the tournament on their home soil and in doing so earned themselves an automatic berth in the FIFA World Cup of 1966 in England. The World Cup itself was a disappointment for Spain as they failed to continue their form. Spain went out at the group stage after a miserable display against the likes of Argentina, Germany and Switzerland.
Spain also failed to qualify for the 1970 and the 1974 FIFA World Cups but managed to secure themselves a place in the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Spain topped their group in the first stage of the tournament by winning three of their four group matches. In the final round Spain played out a draw against Brazil, a win against Sweden and a loss against Austria. The results meant that Spain had failed to qualify for next stage of the contest.
In 1982, the FIFA World Cup was hosted in Spain. As a host nation a lot of expectations were associated with them doing well but again Spain failed to perform. Spaniards managed to qualify for the second round but lost to giants West Germany and only managed a draw against the English. Spain managed to qualify for the 1986 World Cup which was held in Mexico as well. After putting in solid performances in the group stages to defeat Algeria and Northern Ireland, Spain faced Denmark. The Spaniards totally dominated the match against the Danish and scored an amazing 5-1 victory. In the quarter finals, Spain came up against a high-quality Belgium team. After a tough match with few chances for both sides, the match ended 1-1 after extra time. In the penalty shoot-out, Spaniards were unable to hold their own and lost 5-4.
In the 1990 FIFA World Cup, Spain were drawn in a group with Uruguay, South Korea and Belgium. The Spanish who had entered a tournament on a high run of form, blitzed through their group undefeated. However, Spanish were unable to sustain their performances and faced exit after suffering defeat against Yugoslavia at the round of 16 stages.
In the FIFA World Cup of 1994, Spain faced Korea Republic, Bolivia and Germany. The first two of these matches against Korea Republic and Germany ended in draws for the Spanish. The third match against Bolivia was a must win for the Spanish if they were to progress. The match ended in a 3-1 win for the Spanish. In the round of sixteen, Spanish dispatched the Swiss with a comfortable 3-0 win. Spain then faced Italy in the quarter finals. Italy’s talisman Roberto Baggio was on fire during the match and led the Italian attack. He also got the final goal for the Italians in the dying moments of the match to knock out the Spanish.
Spain were put together with Nigeria, Paraguay and Bulgaria in a single group for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Despite coming to the tournament with a squad containing several superstars such as Hierro, Morientes, Raul and Luis Enrique, Spain again flattered to deceive. They lost their crucial match against Nigeria in the group by a score of 3 goals to 2 and exited the tournament early.
For the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Spain shared a group with South Africa, Slovenia and Paraguay. Spain came out of the group with a perfect record of three wins out of three. In the round of sixteen stage, they met Ireland. The game against the Irish resulted in a win for Spanish but only after a penalty shootout after the match had ended 1-1 after extra time. Quarter Finals brought forward South Korea as the opponents for Spain. After the match ended nil all after extra time, the game went onto penalties where the Spanish lost to the host nation.
In the 2006 FIFA World Cup competition, Spain again dominated their group by winning all three of their matches and conceding only one goal in doing so. In the round of sixteen they faced France who were resurgent after their captain and midfield maestro Zinedine Zidane had made a comeback from injury. French dominated the encounter and won the match by three goals to nil.
Spain have usually played good attacking football in their international endeavors but have so far failed to produce any results as far as the World Cup is concerned. They always arrive at a World Cup with a balanced squad which includes star players in all positions but their performance as a team always remains disappointing. Will this again be the story at the FIFA World Cup 2010? Will Spain ever shed their tag of perennial under achievers?
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